Chapter 1370
Having received benefits, the creature’s intelligence rose ever so slightly. It immediately forgot everything that had happened before, even abandoning its instinctive urge to kill every invading being in this plane. Clearly, keeping a good relationship now would bring even greater rewards...
On the surface, a group of people waited quietly. Those already under the creature’s control remained so, while the new mage legion emerging from Leon’s natural demi-plane was unaffected. Now, without Leon needing to say a word, everyone understood: only those who failed to resist that wave of impact were controlled.
They could feel the trembling of the earth, the shuddering of the plane, and even hear a faint, agonized howl that poured directly into their souls.
"Merlin, the creature seems to have noticed us. This is bad..."
Lord Shaun sensed the soul-rending roar of rage and agony. His expression darkened, eyes filled with terror.
There were very few things that could frighten Lord Shaun, but this was one of them. The creature’s soul quality was pitifully low, but compared to its vast soul power, the essence was fragile. Yet when soul power reached such magnitude, it became truly terrifying.
Lord Shaun could easily tear apart the creature’s soul, but he’d drown in its soul power. If caught, it would be like a steel plate submerged in an ocean—no matter how strong the soul’s essence, unless it surpassed a certain threshold, it would be effortlessly overwhelmed by that sea of soul power.
This was brute, unreasonable power—and paired with such a brute, unreasonable creature, it spelled an impossible end.
Hughes went out to deliver the message and hadn’t returned—clearly afraid. Unless the situation here was completely resolved, Hughes definitely wouldn’t come back. As a soul being, he’d never provoke a creature like this...
The others didn’t react much. Hubert bared his teeth and hefted his warhammer, ready for battle at any moment. Though the creature’s level was high, it acted only on instinct. Its magic and soul power were immense, but without being able to control the plane’s beings, it had little fighting capability. As long as they stayed on the surface, they were almost safe. If they wanted to leave now, the creature couldn’t stop them.
"Shaun, what are you afraid of? With Grandpa Hubert here, that creature wouldn’t dare do anything. Worst case, Grandpa Hubert will go smash its lair himself..."
Hubert clapped Lord Shaun’s shoulder boisterously, nearly knocking him flat. But at this moment, Lord Shaun wasn’t in the mood to deal with Hubert at all.
Leon glanced at Maxwell, who stood motionless and expressionless, and didn’t pay much attention.
"Relax. Its soul is full of impurities. With so many flaws, it’s a miracle it developed any intelligence at all. For most people, that potion wouldn’t have much effect—or might even shred their souls.
But for this creature, the loss of soul power is negligible. After being torn apart, its soul will reassemble and become even stronger. For it, the most obvious change is a marked increase in intelligence. Sure, the process is painful, but for a thing that’s never felt pain before, maybe that’s a good thing..."
Leon didn’t care much, and the others cared even less. Sure enough, a few seconds later, intense soul waves erupted from Maxwell. The language of soul beings rippled out, and Lord Shaun’s expression grew odd.
"Lord Merlin, it’s desperately asking for more of that potion. It’s repeated itself over a dozen times..."
Leon squinted and smiled.
"Don’t rush. The potion works too well; you can’t achieve your goal in one go. Souls don’t become this powerful all at once. The process has to be gradual. If you use it all at once, you’ll damage your soul. Wait a while before using the next bottle—the effect will be much better."
The flying magical beasts that had blanketed the sky like storm clouds now scattered, breaking apart and drifting away like black mist.
Within minutes, not a single magical beast could be seen on the ground or in the sky. They had all fled back to their dens, trembling with fear.
With the beasts gone, only Leon’s group and the Iron Legion remained, alongside the Thorned Crown’s powerhouses. The group regained consciousness, collapsing in agony—some so badly wounded they couldn’t even scream.
Earlier, their bodies had been fully crystallized, and they could use their bloodline powers without backlash—the side effects suppressed by the crystalline state. But now, as the crystallization faded, the backlash and side effects exploded forth. Even Maxwell, the Thorned Crown Grand Elder, was half-kneeling, growling in pain as his body cycled between crystal and flesh.
Some even began to suffer from the backlash of transplanted bloodlines—the new blood devouring their own, changing their forms. In the end, they would become a different species, their souls erased in the process. Their bodies might survive, but only as soulless, crazed monsters.
If nothing changes, the Thorned Crown’s group will die here. Once they’re all transformed into soulless monsters, it won’t matter if they’re alive or dead.
Leon watched coldly from the side. They weren’t dead yet—maybe because the creature couldn’t tell if the Thorned Crown’s people were his allies, or maybe because it simply had no interest in those it could control at any time.
Now that the creature had found a way to grow stronger, it naturally obeyed Leon, quietly hiding underground in a half-sleep. Complex thought was beyond it—its mind was astonishingly simple.
The creature’s reckless control had doomed the Thorned Crown’s people—the backlash from their transplanted bloodlines was now beyond suppression.
"Archmage Leon Merlin, Archmage Leon Merlin, we’re willing to swear by our souls and mana never to reveal anything about this plane—never to divulge any information about you."
Please save us—we’re willing to pay any price. We’ll serve you from now on, no questions asked…
Maxwell was half-kneeling, his limbs already turning translucent crystal. The crystal bloodline within him was devouring his human bloodline. Forced assimilation would ultimately turn him into a Crystal Fiend.
Having just his limbs transformed wasn’t too serious, but if his organs or brain were affected and his soul was damaged, there would be no saving him.
Maxwell’s face was bloodless, and even his Crystal Eye began to bleed. Yet he endured the pain, lifting his head to look at Leon with a trace of pleading.
Only Archmage Leon Merlin can save us now. I’m barely holding on—within ten minutes, someone will undergo irreversible transformation. By then, even Leon won’t be able to help.
Only he can save us. If we can get that bloodline-stabilizing potion, we’ll survive…
When that underground creature controlled us, I was vaguely aware—and I still remember bits of our battle with Leon.
He wasn’t controlled by that creature, and neither were his subordinates. He must have known all this long ago—his understanding of this plane is unfathomable.
He could definitely do it. But those two idiots from the Rose Circle deeply offended Leon, and we had more conflicts with him before. The fact that he hasn’t killed us is mercy enough—why would he save us…
The greatest price we can pay is to surrender—everything the Thorned Crown has will be under his command. Only then might he show mercy and save us…
Besides, Leon’s research into bloodline transplantation is terrifyingly advanced—far beyond my comprehension. Even surrendering to him wouldn’t be a problem. If he’s willing, I’m sure most of Thorned Crown would agree.
Anyone here who’s witnessed even a fraction of Leon’s research into bloodline transplantation wouldn’t object.
Despite the pain in his body and soul, Maxwell quickly thought of a way to save himself—even deciding to surrender to Leon. He’d considered it before, but now he was fully committed…
Maxwell pleaded desperately, but Leon said nothing.
The Shadow Tower and Rose Circle are both subordinate factions of the Thorned Crown—or rather, they were founded by its members. The old grudge with the Shadow Tower faded as they kept a low profile, and Leon didn’t bother hunting them down. The ones who deserved it died, or were sent to the semi-plane as laborers and brainwashed by Lord Shaun…
The two madmen from Rose Circle are dead. Now the Rose Circle is back under Thorned Crown’s control.
But the old conflicts can’t be dismissed so easily. The only reason Leon hasn’t killed them is because they’re doomed anyway…
Archmage Leon Merlin, we’re willing to swear by our souls…
Amy and Sunny are dead. I didn’t know much about their actions, since Thorned Crown isn’t ruled by one person. Rose Circle is independent—I only learned more after Sunny arrived. We’ve been drifting in the endless void for a long time.
Most members of Thorned Crown are simply seeking a new path to magical truth. Many have poor talent—without bloodline transplantation, their lives would have ended long ago…
(Irrelevant reading prompt skipped.)
Archmage Leon Merlin, we have no hostility toward you. One person can’t represent all of Thorned Crown, and I don’t want us all to perish here. Within Thorned Crown, there are those who’ll do anything for power—like Shelton, who would betray everything for strength. They’ll use Thorned Crown’s power to expand recklessly, and that’s a disaster…
Once the soul is polluted, it’s no longer a human soul. Seeing Sunny’s fate made me realize—this is a disaster…
Maxwell struggled to persuade, his face twisted in pain. Around him, the other Thorned Crown members wanted to speak but couldn’t. Their symptoms were worse than Maxwell’s—some were already transforming.
Leon looked at Maxwell, feeling complicated emotions.
Leon knew Thorned Crown’s history well. At first, its founders were truly willing to sacrifice themselves to create a new magical path for future generations.
Everyone knew this path would be filled with thorns and hardship, and that most would fall along the way—that was inevitable.
That spirit was lost over time. When Thorned Crown expanded madly, it was because its ranks filled with those willing to sacrifice everything for power—even betray themselves and their souls.
Those madmen eventually triggered a terrifying event called the Aberration Catastrophe, which affected the entire Northend World for thousands of years.
If not for those troublemakers, Northend World’s golden age would have been even greater.